Syracuse football team suffers last-minute loss to Northwestern

Syracuse, NY – It was an amazing comeback. But it fell one point short.

Syracuse University scored 28 straight points in the game’s final 18 minutes to overcome early turnovers and big plays given up by its special teams. The Orange overcame a 22-point deficit to take a six-point lead with 2 minutes, 40 seconds left to play.

But the Northwestern Wildcats marched 75 yards in two minutes to dash the dream comeback. A touchdown pass from backup quarterback Trevor Siemian to wide receiver Demetrius Fields with 44 seconds remaining gave the Wildcats a 42-41 victory in the season opener for both teams.

The loss ruined a huge day for quarterback Ryan Nassib and the SU offense, which rolled up close to 600 total yards.

Nassib completed 44 of 64 passes for 470 yards and four TDs. Syracuse native Marcus Sales, back on the field for the first time since 2010, caught 11 passes for 117 yards and a TD.

But turnovers and miscues did in the Orange, putting the team in a deep hole.

SU allowed two huge punt returns by Northwestern’s Venric Mark, one of them for an 82-yard touchdown, and yielded another TD when the offense fell asleep on an incomplete pass that was ruled a lateral, picked up by the Wildcats’ defense and run in for a score.

After leading 13-7 early in the second quarter, the Orange found themselves down 35-13 midway through the third.

But SU’s offense, which rolled up 596 yards of total offense, didn’t give up. Nor did the Orange defense.

The Orange scored three straight TDs to close to within 35-33 with 6 minutes, 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter. SU went for two points after the third TD, but Nassib’s pass to Jarrod West was broken up in the end zone.

After shutting down the Wildcats, the Orange got the ball back on its 28-yard line with 5:33 remaining.

SU went on a seven-play drive that culminated in a 20-yard TD pass from Nassib to junior college transfer Christopher Clark. A two-point conversion run by Prince-Tyson Gulley made it 41-35 SU with 2:40 left.

SU (0-1) will face No. 1 Southern California at 3:30 next Saturday in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.